This is, ultimately, a literary romance, one with grit and uncomfortable explorations into themes of mental health, co-dependency, compulsive self-sabotage and the ways the veil of illusion begins to slip as relationships progress and we must decide to crack or embrace that ‘ it is perilously wonderful to suffer so sweetly with you. I wish all the metaphors from the first half could’ve actually meant something in the end, spoiler alert! Olivie has penned several indie SFF projects, including the webtoon Clara and the Devil with illustrator Little Chmura and the viral Atlas series. They are difficult characters but they still deserve to feel love and there were fleeting moments I felt this book was akin to Sally Rooney characters.

I wasn't able to connect at all for the better part of the first two chapters and then they went to the church and to say I ascended during that scene would be an understatement.Regan is a fascinating character, one who is certainly flawed and can be rather frustrating at times but you want her to learn to love herself for herself and not because someone else does. She works at a Museum, mostly as a guide, her parents are absent as hell, her mom-destructive and cutting, and her sister, too perfect for words. This was my first Olivie Blake and I will certainly read others, it is a book without any fantastical elements though still is undeniably magical. He gets through his days by erecting a wall of routine: a backbeat of rules and formulas that keep him going.

I love that museum intensely and the pair having an affection for the Armory there as the place of their first meeting steals my heart. and even though i have some issues with the narrative structure and style, i did find some parts of it to be inspiring.

for me, it had me fascinated from the third page, then almost shoved me out into another breakdown and had me so so stressed the whole time just to pull me back at the last minute, and at the end i’m still confused. there is nothing inside my head but aldo and regan and bees and quantum formulas and differential equations and the crevices of their fragile minds and i am at lost for words to describe how utterly devastatingly beautiful this book was. the moment i read the last paragraph of this book, i thought ah, i would never find a book like this. Blake delivers seemingly effortless storytelling that loops through exciting metafiction techniques, such as a whole host of narrators intruding in on the story in part 1, including an “overzealous Cubs fan,” or “an aging, arthritic man in possession of many books” as well as stage direction details. Blake does well by having the story reject any quick fix or certainty, showing mental health is a lifelong journey and encouraging therapy and repeated self-assessment to remain both productive and healthy.